Two-way hospital light



Aug. 17, 1965 A. L. SIEGEL TWO-WAY HOSPITAL LIGHT Filed July 3. 1963 United States Patent 0 3,251,582 TWO=WAY HQSPKTAL LIGHT Al L. Sicgel, seas Jenn-oi Eirive N, East Meadow, Long Island, Filed July 3, 1963, Ser. No. 292,634 3 Ciahns. (Cl. 240-73} This invention relates to light fixtures in general, and in particular to a two-way light fixture adapted for use in hospitals.

An important object of the invention is to provide a light fixture which is equipped with means for direct downward and indirect upward illumination.

Another object of the invention is to provide such a fixture which is simple in construction, easily serviced and can be manufactured at a reasonable cost.

Other objects and a fuller understanding of the invention may be had by referring to the following description and claims taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing.

It should be understood, however, that these are given by way of illustration and not of limitation, and that various changes in the details, form and arrangement of the invention may be made without departing from its scope.

In the drawing:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the fixture,

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view through line 2-2 of FIG. 1,

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view through line 3--3 of FIG. 2, and

FIG. 4- is a fragmentary bottom plan view as viewed on line 4- of FIG. 2.

Referring now to t e drawing in detail, the two-way hospital light comprises a housing or chassis it including a back wall 12, a top wall 16 and end walls 13. De tachably secured to the housing or chassis lit, in a mannor to be described below, is a translucent difluser 28, preferably made of plastic material. The diffuser comprises a longitudinally extending front panel 22, a top panel 2% and a bottom panel 2s and an open portion de- L.

fined by L-shaped flanges 23, 3% extending transversely to the front panel 22. Secured to flange 28 is a diffuser retaining clip 32 which engages detachably with an armate flange portion 2% of the top wall 14 of housing or chassis it and extends through opening 36 formed in the flange portion. Difiuser retaining tabs 33 abut the terminal portion at? of the chassis and there are likewise provided dii'fuser stops A reflector 44, which is preferably made of sheet metal having .a polished surface has a wireway cover 46 welded to its angular portion, the wireway cover being formed with a flange 48 welded to the terminal portion lti of the chassis. The bottom Wall 16 is formed with a flange 59, for securing pivotaibly the diffuser pivot clip 52 by means of the rounded portion 54 of the clip on a pivot pin 55 secured to flange Eli, as shown in FIG. 2. The rounded portion 54* is detachable from pivot 56 by pressing upwardly the bottom plastic panel 26 which is resilient.

A pair of socket plates 53, one of which is shown in FIGS. 5, 2 and 3, are secured to the chassis 10 by means of threaded shanks so and nuts 62, the plates being spaced from the chassis by means of spacers 64. The socket plates are formed with flanges 66 to each of which is secured a leaf spring 68, A pair of diffuser inserts 70, against which the springs abut, are provided in the difinser 29, which has projections 72 for retaining the inserts. Another flange 74 in each of the socket plates with a slot 76 and a difluser retaining spring extends into this slot. The other end 86 of the spring is welded to the flange 74.

Patented Aug. 1 '7, l. 965

Sockets 82 for fluorescent tubes 84 are secured to each of the socket plates 53, above and below reflector 44. The device is further provided with an electrical unit 86 consisting of a night light as, a switch 9d for controlling the light and a convenience outlet 92. The switch 90 is adapted, through appropriate wiring (not shown), to turn on and off either of the fluorescent lamps 84 to provide indirect upward light or direct downward illumination, or to turn on and off both fluorescent lamps simultaneously. The switch may be further adapted to turn on the night light 88 while turning off the fluorescent lamps If desired, separate switches may be provided for each of the lamps.

The novel construction of the device makes it possible to dismount easily the diffuser 2th from the chassis 10 for any desired purpose. For this purpose it is only necessary to press downwardly the resilient plastic top panel 24 adjacent the diffuser flange 2S and to press upwardly t e resilient plastic bottom panel 26 adjacent the flange so until the flanges are free of the respective chassis flanges. The diflu-ser can then be slid to the position shown in dotted lines in FIG. 2 where it is suspended against tabs or projections 72 and spring 78, thus making accessible the interior of the device for any desired purpose. To reattaoh the diffuser to the chassis, the difiuser is slid into the opposite direction and the flanges 32 and 52 are reengaged with the corresponding flanges 34 and What is claimed and desired to be secured by letters Patent of the United States is:

2.. A two-way hospital light comprising, in combination a chassis having a back wall, top and bottom Walls tourned with inturned flanges, and end walls extending outwardly of said top and bottom walls, said end walls :haying free end portions, a one piece diffuser of translucent resilient sheet material formed with a front panel and bottom and top panels, said top and bottom panels having edges extending parallel to said front panel, reraining ciips detachab'ly securing said edges to said infturned flanges, the lower of said clips being pivotal-1y connected to their respective flanges, a pair of difiuser inserts intimately contacting said front panel and ex tending part way across the top and bot-torn panels, a pair of spaced leaf springs secured to said free end portions of the end walls, said springs engaging said inserts for biasing said retaining clips against said inturned flanges of the top and bottom walls, a reflector secured to one of said inturned flanges and extending into said diffuser and forming upper and lower light chambers therein, a pair of socket plates spacedly secured to each of said end walls inwardly of said diffuser, aligned lamp sockets secured to each of said end walls above and below said reflector, respectively, and switch means for selectively controlling .a current supply to said sockets.

2. A two-way hospital light comprising, in combination, a chassis having a back wall, top and bottom walls formed with inturned flanges, and end walls extending outwardly of said top and bottom Walls, said end walls having free end portions, a diffuser of translucent resilient sheet material formed with a front panel and top and bottom panels, said top and bottom panels having edges of enlarged cross-section extending parallel to said front panel top and bottom, retaining clips detachably securing said edges to said inturned flanges, said bottom clip-s being pivotally connected to their respective flanges, a pair of diffuser inserts intimately contacting said front panel 7 and extending part way across the said top and bottom panels, a pair of spaced lea-f springs secured to said free end portions of the end Walls, said springs engaging said insert for biasing said retaining clips against said inturned flanges of the top and bottom Walls, a reflector secured to one of said inturned flanges and extending diagonally into said diifuser to form upper and lower ligh t chambers therein, a wireway cover secured to the underside of the reflector, a pair of socket plates, spacedly secured to each of said end walls inwardly of said diffuser, two pairs of aligned lamp sockets secured to each of said end walls above and below said reflector, respectively, and switch means for selectively controlling a current supply to said sockets.

3. A two-way hospital light comprising, in combination, .a chassis having a back wall, top and bottom walls formed with inturned flanges, and end walls extending outwardly of said top and bottom walls, said end walls having free end portions, a diffuser of translucent resilient sheet material formed with a front panel and top and bottom panels, said top and bottom panels having edges of enlarged cross-section extending parallel to said front panel, top and bottom retaining clips detachably securing said edges to said inturned flanges, said bottom clips being pivotally connected to their respective flanges, a pair of diffuser inserts intimately contacting said front panel and extending part way across said top and bottom panels, a pair of spaced leaf springs secured to said fre end 4 portions of the end Walls, said springs engaging said inserts for biasing said retaining clips against said inturned flanges of the top and bottom walls, a reflector secured to one of said inturned flanges and extending diagonal-1y into said diffuser to form upper and lower light chambers therein, a wireway cover secured to the underside of .the reflector, a pair of socket plates spa'cedly secured to said end walls inwardly of said diffuser, two pairs of lamp sockets secured to said end walls above and below said reflector, respectively, and switch means for selectively controlling a current supply to said sockets, and a night light mounted in the bottom wall of said chassis, said night light being operable by said switch means.

' References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,269,182 1/42 Clapsy et al. 240-5 1.11 2,327,568 8/43 Strang 240-5111 3,022,416 2/62 Rooberts 24073 3,077,536 2/63 'Garnett 24073 NORTON ANSHER, Primary Examiner. 

1. A TWO-WAY HOSPITAL LIGHT COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION A CHASSIS HAVING A BACK WALL, TOP AND BOTTOM WALLS FORMED WITH INTURNED FLANGES, AND END WALLS EXTENDING OUTWARDLY OF SAID TOP AND BOTTOM WALLS, SAID END WALLS HAVING FREE END PORTIONS, A ONE PIECE DIFFUSER OF TRANSLUCENT RESILIENT SHEET MATERIAL FORMED WITH A FRONT PANEL AND BOTTOM AND TOP PANELS, SAID TOP AND BOTTOM PANELS HAVING EDGES EXTENDING PARALLEL TO SAID FRONT PANEL, RETAINING CLIPS DETACHABLY SECURING SAID EDGES TO SAID INTURNED FLANGES ,THE LOWER OF SAID CLIPS BEING PIVOTALLY CONNECTED TO THEIR RESPECTIVE FLANGES, A PAIR OF DIFFUSER INSERTS INTIMATELY CONTACTING SAID FRONT PANEL AND EXTENDING PART WAY ACROSS THE TOP AND BOTTOM PANELS, A PAIR OF SPACED LEAD SPRINGS SECURED TO SAID FREE END PORTION OF THE END WALLS, SAID SPRINGS ENGAGING SAID INSERTS FOR BIASING SAID RETAINING CLIPS AGAINST SAID INTURNED FLANGES OF THE TOP AND BOTTOM WALLS, A REFLECTOR SECURED TO ONE OF SAID INTURNED FLANGES AND EXTENDING TO SAID DIFFUSER AND FORMING UPPER AND LOWER LIGHT CHAMBERS THEREIN, A PAIR OF SOCKET PLATES SPACEDLY SECURED TO EACH OF SAID END WALS INWARDLY OF SAID DIFFUSER, ALIGNED LAMP SOCKETS SECURED TO EACH OF SAID END WALLS ABOVE AND BELOW SAID REFLECTOR, RESPECTIVELY, AND SWITCH MEANS FOR SELECTIVELY CONTROLLING A CURRENT SUPPLY TO SAID SOCKETS. 